Khaberni - A new academic study analyzed the "dark side" of workplace leaders' personalities, revealing four major disorders that may affect managers, and explained their devastating impact on employees.
Professor Elena Fernandez del Rio, from the University of Zaragoza in Spain, presented a method to help identify whether a manager at work suffers from disorders such as psychopathy, narcissism, Machiavellian personality, or sadism. She published the results of her study in the International Encyclopedia of Business Management, clarifying that "the dark side of a person's personality generally refers to a tendency towards unethical and socially and morally unacceptable behaviors."
Characteristics of each disorder:
Psychopathy: Loss of self-control, emotional coldness, irregular lifestyle, absence of guilt or remorse, and antisocial behavior.
Narcissism: Excessive self-love, arrogance, vanity, a continuous need for admiration, and primarily ego-driven actions.
Machiavellianism: Competitiveness, a cynical worldview, strategic manipulation, and striving to maintain a positive reputation.
Sadism: Enjoyment in cruelty and demeaning others, love of control, and aggressive and frightening behaviors.
The professor explained that leaders with dark personalities negatively affect employees. Studies suggest that Machiavellians are associated with greater emotional exhaustion and reduced satisfaction with promotion opportunities, while psychopathy leads to decreased job satisfaction, weakened team performance, and reduced group cohesion.
The researcher warned that detecting these traits is extremely difficult during job interviews or questionnaires, as individuals with dark personalities are skilled at pretending to have positive qualities, and some of these traits might appear beneficial in the short term. For example, the high confidence of narcissists initially attracts followers. Over time, aggressive behaviors emerge, which can hinder the achievement of the organization's long-term goals and damage collaborative teamwork.
